Callan Chythlook-Sifsof
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Callan Chythlook-Sifsof (born February 14, 1989) is an American Olympic
snowboarder Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic ...
who has competed in
snowboard cross Snowboard cross, also known as boardercross, is a snowboard competition in which four to six competitors race down a course. Snowboard cross courses are typically quite narrow and include cambered turns, various types of jumps, berms, rollers, ...
since 2005. She is a Yupik/ Inupiaq. She is the first native of Alaska to compete in the Olympics.


Biography


Early life

Chythlook-Sifsof grew up in Aleknagik (a rural fishing village of about 300 people, on the coast of the
Bering Sea The Bering Sea ( , ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre, p=ˈbʲerʲɪnɡəvə ˈmorʲe) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasse ...
) and Dillingham, Alaska; she moved with her mother to Girdwood, Anchorage, Alaska to be closer to the
Alyeska Resort Alyeska Resort is a ski resort in the Girdwood area of Anchorage, Alaska, approximately from downtown Anchorage. Mount Alyeska is part of the Chugach mountain range and the Alyeska Resort is the largest ski area in the state. It includes the ...
. She is a Yupik/ Inupiaq
Eskimo ''Eskimo'' () is a controversial Endonym and exonym, exonym that refers to two closely related Indigenous peoples: Inuit (including the Alaska Native Iñupiat, the Canadian Inuit, and the Greenlandic Inuit) and the Yupik peoples, Yupik (or Sibe ...
.


2006–14

In 2006, she was invited to her first
Winter X Games Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Diffe ...
competition and won a
silver medal A silver medal, in sports and other similar areas involving competition, is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, ...
in 2011. She won the U.S. National Championships in
Tamarack ''Larix laricina'', commonly known as the tamarack, hackmatack, eastern larch, black larch, red larch, or American larch, is a species of larch native to Canada, from eastern Yukon and Inuvik, Northwest Territories east to Newfoundland, and als ...
, Idaho, in 2007. In 2008, she won the Jeep King of the Mountain World snowboard series in
Sun Valley, Idaho Sun Valley is a resort city in the western United States, in Blaine County, Idaho, adjacent to the city of Ketchum in the Wood River valley. The population was 1,783 at the 2020 census. The elevation of Sun Valley (at the Lodge) is above se ...
. Her best
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
finishes were 3rd place in Furano, Japan, in 2006, and 2nd place in Arosa, Switzerland, in 2011. She did not compete in 2009 due to a knee injury. It was announced on January 26, 2010, that Chythlook-Sifsof made the 2010 U.S. Winter Olympic Team. She placed 21st in the qualifying round of women's snowboard cross, and did not advance. It was the first time a native of Alaska competed in the Olympics. In 2012, she had two top-ten World Cup finishes, but then suffered a knee injury that sidelined her for the rest of the season. In 2014, she retired from snowboarding after three back-to-back knee surgeries, and then injuring her knee again. In February 2014, during the
2014 Winter Olympics The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Sochi 2014 (), were an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 7 to 23 February 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Opening ro ...
, in
Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from  – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...
, Russia, for which she did not qualify, Chythlook-Sifsof
came out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...
publicly as gay, saying she did so in support of ongoing protests of Russia's anti-LGBTQ laws. She stated "it's important to come out and take a stand and show the world that it's not OK to be a bigot."


2015–present

In February 2022, Chythlook-Sifsof made posts on Instagram during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics accusing
Peter Foley Peter Foley may refer to: * Peter Foley (footballer) (born 1956) * Peter Foley (snowboarding) {{hndis, Foley, Peter ...
, who coached the U.S. Snowboard team from 1994 to 2022, of
sexual misconduct Sexual misconduct is misconduct of a sexual nature which exists on a spectrum that may include a broad range of sexual behaviors considered unwelcome. This includes conduct considered inappropriate on an individual or societal basis of morality, ...
. She wrote, "I cannot watch another Olympic Games without saying this publicly." Foley denied the allegations. USSS immediately implemented an "athlete safety plan" that prohibited Foley from having "one-on-one interaction with female athletes," and from going into an athlete village. He was placed on leave by USSS on February 21, temporarily suspended by SafeSport, and then dismissed by USSS on March 20, 2022.Letter from the U.S. Senate
/ref> By August 2022, at least five women had made reports to SafeSport regarding Foley's behavior. On August 8, 2023, after an 18-month investigation, SafeSport suspended Foley for ten years for sexual misconduct.


Awards

* ''
Outsports ''Outsports'' is a sports news website concerned with LGBTQ issues and personalities in amateur and professional sports. The company was founded in 1999 by Cyd Zeigler, Jr. and Jim Buzinski. ''The Outsports Revolution'' ( Alyson Publications), ...
''’ 2022 Female Hero of the Year.


References


External links

*
Callan Chythlook-Sifsof
at U.S. Snowboarding * * *
Callan Chythlook-Sifsof
at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics (archived) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chythlook-Sifsof, Callan 1989 births 21st-century Alaska Native people American female snowboarders American lesbian sportswomen Inupiat people LGBTQ Native Americans LGBTQ people from Alaska LGBTQ snowboarders Living people Native American sportswomen Olympic snowboarders for the United States People from Dillingham Census Area, Alaska Snowboarders at the 2010 Winter Olympics Sportspeople from Anchorage, Alaska Yupik people X Games competitors 2014 Winter Olympics 21st-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American sportswomen Alaska Native women American Inuit women 21st-century Inuit people 21st-century Inuit women